Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross and St. Bartholomew, Wrocław

Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross and St. Bartholomew (Polish: Kolegiata Świętego Krzyża i św. Bartłomieja) in Wrocław, Poland, is a two-storey brick Gothic collegiate church^[2][3] on the Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island), considered the second most important Roman Catholic church in Wrocław.^[4] It is one of the historic burial sites of Polish monarchs.

Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross and St. Bartholomew
Kolegiata Świętego Krzyża i św. Bartłomieja
Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross and St. Bartholomew
51.1150°N 17.0439°E / 51.1150; 17.0439
Location	Wrocław
Country	Poland
Language(s)	Polish
Denomination	Catholic
History
Status	Collegiate church
Founded	1288
Founder(s)	Henryk IV Probus
Dedication	Holy Cross and Bartholomew the Apostle
Consecrated	1295
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Historic Monument of Poland
Designated	8 September 1994[1]
Style	Gothic
Administration
Archdiocese	Wrocław

Along with the Old Town of Wrocław, it is listed as a Historic Monument of Poland.^[1]

History

Memorial plaque to Nicolaus Copernicus

The church was founded in 1288 by Polish monarch Henryk IV Probus, who was eventually buried in the church after his death in 1290, when the church was still under construction.^[4] Construction was continued by, among others, bishop Nanker and parish priest Jan Stanko.^[4] The upper church (Holy Cross Church) contains an epitaph of bishop Nanker. 15h-century Polish chronicler Jan Długosz described the church as "beautiful and magnificent" following his visits in Wrocław.^[4] From 1502 to 1538 renown astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was a member of the collegiate chapter.^[4] In 1821 Polish poet Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz listened to a Polish sermon in the church.^[4] After World War II, the lower church (St. Bartholomew Church) was used by ethnic Germans until 1956 and later by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church until 1997.